About 89.5% of the people of Romania are ethnic Romanians, whose language, Romanian, is an Eastern Romance language, descended primarily from Latin with some Slavic, German, Greek, Hungarian and Turkish borrowings. The degree to which they have historical continuity north of the Danube since the days of the Roman Empire is a matter of some controversy (see Origin of Romanians), but there is no question that they are by far the most numerous group of speakers of an Eastern Romance language today. It has been said that they constitute "an island of Latinity"^[1] in Central Europe, surrounded on all sides either by Slavic peoples or by the Hungarians. Map of Balkans with regions inhabited by Romanians/Vlachs highlighted The Eastern Romance languages are a group of Romance languages that developed in Southeastern Europe from the local eastern variant of Vulgar Latin. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ...  Countries where a West Slavic language is the national language  Countries where an East Slavic language is the national language  Countries where a South Slavic language is the national language The Slavic languages (also called Slavonic languages), a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup... The Danube (ancient Danuvius, Iranian *dānu, meaning river or stream, ancient Greek Istros) is the longest river in the European Union and Europes second longest river. ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent. ... The Romanians (also sometimes referred to along with other Balkan Latin peoples as Vlachs) are a nation speaking Romanian, a Romance language, and living in Central and Eastern Europe. ... Distribution of Slavic people by language The Slavic peoples are a linguistic and ethnic branch of Indo-European peoples, living mainly in Europe, where they constitute roughly a third of the population. ...

The Hungarian minority in Romania constitute the country's largest minority, 6.6% of the population. The Hungarian minority of Romania is the largest ethnic minority in Romania, consisting of 1,431,807 people and making up 6. ...

Minorities

Main article: Minorities of Romania This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Hungarians (Székelys and Magyars) (especially in Harghita, Covasna and Mureş) and The Roma (commonly known as ţigani) are the principal minorities, with a declining German population (Banat Swabians in Timiş; Transylvanian Saxons in Sibiu, Braşov and elsewhere) and smaller numbers of Slovaks, Serbs, Chinese, Croats and Banat Bulgarians (in Banat), Ukrainians (especially in Bukovina), Greeks of Romania (especially in Brăila and Constanţa), Turks and Tatars (mainly in Constanţa), Armenians, Great Russians (Lipovans, Old Believers in Tulcea), Jews and others. Since the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Bucharest has again become an increasingly cosmopolitan city, including identifiable Chinese and Irish presences. Minority populations are greatest in Transylvania and the Banat, areas in the north and west, which were possessions of the Habsburg Empire (after 1867 the Austro-Hungarian Empire) until World War I. Even before the union with Romania, ethnic Romanians comprised the overall majority in Transylvania. However, ethnic Hungarians and Germans were the dominant urban population until relatively recently, and still are the majority in Harghita and Covasna counties. The Székely or Szeklers (Hungarian: , Romanian: , German: ) are a Hungarian ethnic group, mostly living in Transylvania in Romania with a significant population living across the border in Vojvodina, Serbia and Montenegro . ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Harghita (Hungarian: Hargita) is a county (judeÅ£) in the center of Romania, Eastern Transylvania, with the capital city at Miercurea-Ciuc. ... Administrative map of Romania with Covasna county highlighted Covasna (Hungarian: Kovászna) is a county (Judeţ) in Romania, in Transylvania, with the capital city at Sfântu Gheorghe (population: 67,108), known in Hungarian as Sepsiszentgyörgy. ... MureÅŸ (Hungarian: Maros) is a Romanian county (JudeÅ£) in Transylvania, with the capital city at Târgu MureÅŸ, (population: 165,835). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require a spell check. ... The Banat Swabians are a German-speaking population in Southeast Europe, part of the Danube Swabians, who immigrated over 200 years ago from different parts of Southern Germany into Banat, after it had been almost entirely depopulated during wars with Turkey. ... TimiÅŸ (Hungarian: Temes) is a county (judeÅ£) in Western Romania, in Western Transylvania - Banat region, with the capital city at TimiÅŸoara (population: 305,977 as of 2004). ... The Transylvanian Saxons (German: ; Hungarian: ; Romanian: ) are a people of German origin who settled in Transylvania (German: ) from the 12th century onwards. ... County Status County capital Mayor Klaus Johannis, from the Democratic Forum of Germans of Romania, since 2000 Area 121. ... County BraÅŸov County Status County capital Mayor George Scripcaru, Democratic Party, since 2004 Area 267. ... The Serbs are an ethnic minority in Romania. ... The Croats (Hrvati in Croatian, croaÅ£i in Romanian) are an ethnic minority in Romania, numbering 6786 people according to the 2002 census. ... Banat Bulgarians in Romania (in brown) The Banat Bulgarians (Bulgarian: , banatski balgari, endonym palćene and banátsći balgare) are a Bulgarian minority group living mostly in the Romanian part of the historical region of the Banat. ... Location of Banat in Europe Map of the Banat region with largest cities shown The Banat (Romanian: Banat, Serbian: Банат or Banat, Hungarian: Bánát or Bánság, German: Banat, Slovak: Banát, Bulgarian: Банат) is a geographical and historical region of Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the... Bukovina (Ukrainian: , Bukovyna; Romanian: Bucovina; German and Polish: Bukowina; see also other languages) is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains. ... There has been a Greek presence in Romania for at least 27 centuries. ... Romania with Brăila county highlighted Brăila is a Romanian county (Judeţ) in the Wallachia region, with the capital city at Brăila (population: 234,201). ... Facts Development region: Sud-Est Historic region: Dobruja Capital city: ConstanÅ£a Population:  â€¢ As of 2002:  â€¢ Population density: 715,151 101/km² Area: 7,071 km² Codes:  â€¢ Car numbers  â€¢ ISO 3166-2:RO CT RO-CT Telephone code: (+40) x41 (1) Web:   County Council Prefecture 1. ... The Crimean Tatars (sg. ... Facts Development region: Sud-Est Historic region: Dobruja Capital city: ConstanÅ£a Population:  â€¢ As of 2002:  â€¢ Population density: 715,151 101/km² Area: 7,071 km² Codes:  â€¢ Car numbers  â€¢ ISO 3166-2:RO CT RO-CT Telephone code: (+40) x41 (1) Web:   County Council Prefecture 1. ... Lipovans or Lippovans (Old Faith Believers, Old Rite Followers) are a small (about 40,000) Slavic ethnic group of Russian origin residing in the delta of the Danube River in Tulcea county of eastern Romania. ... In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers (Russian: ) separated after 1666 - 1667 from the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon. ... Administrative map of Romania with Tulcea county highlighted Tulcea is a Romanian county (Judeţ) in the Dobrogea region, with the capital city at Tulcea (population: 96,813). ... Combatants Communist Romania Ad hoc local Romanian militias, demoralized romanian army forces Commanders Nicolae CeauÅŸescu Various independent militia leaders, discontented Communist party members Casualties 1,104 deaths The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a week-long series of riots and fighting in late December of 1989 that overthrew the... Location of Banat in Europe Map of the Banat region with largest cities shown The Banat (Romanian: Banat, Serbian: Банат or Banat, Hungarian: Bánát or Bánság, German: Banat, Slovak: Banát, Bulgarian: Банат) is a geographical and historical region of Central Europe currently divided between three countries: the... Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Official languages Latin, German, Hungarian Established church Roman Catholic Capital & Largest City Vienna pop. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Before World War II, minorities represented more than 28% of the total population. During the war that percentage was halved, largely by the loss of the border areas of Bessarabia and northern Bukovina (to the former Soviet Union: now Moldova and Ukraine) and southern Dobrudja (to Bulgaria), as well as by the postwar flight or deportation of ethnic Germans. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... 1927 map of Bessarabia from Charles Upson Clarks book Bessarabia (Basarabia in Romanian, Бесарабія in Ukrainian, Бессарабия in Russian, Бесарабия in Bulgarian, Besarabya in Turkish) is a historical term for the geographic entity in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the East and the Prut River on the West. ... Bukovina (Ukrainian: , Bukovyna; Romanian: Bucovina; German and Polish: Bukowina; see also other languages) is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains. ... Dobruja or sometimes Dobrudja (Dobrogea in Romanian, Dobrudzha in Bulgarian, Dobruca in Turkish) is the territory between the lower Danube river and the Black Sea, which includes the Danube Delta and the Romanian sea-shore. ...

Though Romanian troops participated in the destruction of the Jewish communities of Bessarabia and Bukovina, a large proportion of Jews in Romania itself survived the Holocaust; of an initial population of about 850,000, 460,000 survived. Mass emigration, mostly to Israel and United States, has reduced the surviving Jewish community to an estimated 12,000.^[2]. In recent years, more than two-thirds of the ethnic Germans in Romania have emigrated to Germany, leaving behind roughly 60,000.

Distribution of religions in Romania

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1070x677, 59 KB) Distribution of religions in Romania, based on the data of the 2002 Romanian Census. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1070x677, 59 KB) Distribution of religions in Romania, based on the data of the 2002 Romanian Census. ...

Religion

Religious affiliation tends to follow ethnic lines, with most ethnic Romanians identifying with the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Greek Catholic or Uniate church, reunified with the Orthodox Church by fiat in 1948, was restored after the 1989 revolution. The 2002 census indicates that 0.9% of the population is Greek Catholic, as opposed to about 10% prior to 1948. Roman Catholics, largely ethnic Hungarians and Germans, constitute 4.7% of the population; Calvinists, Baptists (see Baptist Union of Romania and Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania), Pentecostals, and Lutherans make up another 5%. There are smaller numbers of Unitarians, Muslims, and other religions. The Romanian Orthodox Church (Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. ... The Eastern Catholic Churches are autonomous particular Churches in full communion with the Pope in Rome. ... The term Eastern Rites may refer to the liturgical rites used by many ancient Christian Churches of Eastern Europe and the Middle East that, while being part of the Roman Catholic Church, are distinct from the Latin Rite or Western Church. ... The Romanian Roman-Catholic Church is a Latin Rite Catholic Church, the second largest Romanian denomination after the Romanian Orthodox Church, having more than one million members, of which 350,000 Romanians, 580,000 Hungarians, 36,000 Germans and 20,000 Roma people, most of them in Transylvania and Bac... The Baptist Union of Romania (Uniunea Baptistă din România) is an alliance of Baptist churches for cooperative ministry in Romania. ... The Convention of the Hungarian Baptist Churches of Romania (Romániai Maygar Baptista Gyülekezetek Szövetsége) is an organization of Hungarian Baptists in Romania united for promoting cooperative ministry. ...

Culture

Main article: Culture of Romania The culture of Romania is rich and varied. ...

Romania's rich cultural traditions have been nourished by many sources, some of which predate the Roman occupation. The traditional folk arts, including dance, wood carving, ceramics, weaving and embroidery of costumes and household decorations, and fascinating folk music, still flourish in many parts of the country. Despite strong Austrian, German, and especially French influence, many of Romania's great artists, such as the painter Nicolae Grigorescu, the poet Mihai Eminescu, the composer George Enescu, and the sculptor Constantin Brâncuşi, drew their inspiration from Romanian folk traditions. Nicolae Grigorescu (15 May 1838, Pitaru, DâmboviÅ£a - 21 July 1907, Câmpina) is one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. ... Mihai Eminescu (pronunciation in Romanian: ) (January 15, 1850 – June 15, 1889), born Mihail Eminovici, was a late Romantic poet, the best-known and most influential Romanian poet celebrated in both Romania and Moldova. ... George Enescu George Enescu (pronunciation in Romanian: ; known in France as Georges Enesco) (August 19, 1881, Liveni – May 4, 1955, Paris) was a Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor and teacher, preeminent Romanian musician of the 20th century, and one of the greatest performers of his time. ... Constantin Brancusi (February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957), originally Constantin BrâncuÅŸi, was a Romanian sculptor, born in HobiÅ£a, Gorj, near Târgu Jiu, where he placed his sculptural ensemble with The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss and The Endless Column. ...

The country's many Orthodox monasteries, as well as the Transylvanian Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church, some of which date back to the 13th century, are repositories of artistic treasures. The famous painted monasteries of Bukovina make an important contribution to European architecture. The Romanian Roman-Catholic Church is a Latin Rite Catholic Church, the second largest Romanian denomination after the Romanian Orthodox Church, having more than one million members, of which 350,000 Romanians, 580,000 Hungarians, 36,000 Germans and 20,000 Roma people, most of them in Transylvania and Bac... The Evangelical Church or Evangelical Association was founded by Jacob Albright, a German-speaking Christian influenced by John Wesley and the Methodist movement. ...

Poetry and the theater play an important role in contemporary Romanian life. Classic Romanian plays, such as those of Ion Luca Caragiale, as well as works by modern or avant-garde Romanian and international playwrights, find sophisticated and enthusiastic audiences in the many theaters of the capital and of the smaller cities. The statue of Ion Luca Caragiale in front of the Bucharest National Theatre Ion Luca Caragiale (January 30, 1852 - July 9, 1912) was a Romanian playwright, novelist, and short story writer. ...

Statistics

Population

Evolution of Romanian population (thousands of persons)

The population as of March 2002 is 21,698,181. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Different sources give extremely different statistics for the evolution of Romania's population history. The National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (NIRDI) gives the following numbers:

Population evolution: (censuses)

• 1859 (or 1900 ?) - 8,600,000 (Wallachia and Moldavia without Bessarabia, Bukovina, and Transylvania)
• 1912 - 12,923,600 (adding Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bukovina)
• 1930 - 18,057,028 (14,280,729 is without Bessarabia and northern Bukovina)
• 1948 - 15,872,624
• 1956 - 17,489,450
• 1966 - 19,103,163
• 1977 - 21,559,910
• 1989 - 23,151,564
• 1992 - 22,810,035

Statistics 1859–1992 from NIRDI: [2]

However, the following numbers, very different for the early years, come from the Tacitus Historical Atlas [3] Map of Romania with Wallachia in yellow. ... For other uses of Moldavia or Moldova, see Moldova (disambiguation). ... 1927 map of Bessarabia from Charles Upson Clarks book Bessarabia (Basarabia in Romanian, Бесарабія in Ukrainian, Бессарабия in Russian, Бесарабия in Bulgarian, Besarabya in Turkish) is a historical term for the geographic entity in Eastern Europe bounded by the Dniester River on the East and the Prut River on the West. ... Bukovina (Ukrainian: , Bukovyna; Romanian: Bucovina; German and Polish: Bukowina; see also other languages) is a historical region on the northern slopes of the northeastern Carpathian Mountains and the adjoining plains. ... Map of Romania with Transylvania in yellow Transylvania (Romanian: or ; Hungarian: ; German: ; Bulgarian: ; Serbian: / or / ) is a historical region in central and western Romania. ...

• 1844 - 3.6 million
• 1861 - 3.9 million
• 1870 - 4.3 million
• 1880 - 4.5 million
• 1890 - 5.3 million
• 1900 - 6.0 million
• 1910 - 6.9 million
• 1915 - 7.8 million
• 1921 - 15.6 million
• 1930 - 17.9 million
• 1939 - 19.9 million
• 1940 - 15.9 million
• 1941 - 13.6 million
• 1946 - 15.8 million

Statistics 1844–1946 from Tacitus Historical Atlas [4]

Thereafter, the numbers are essentially the same as the NIRDI numbers.

Age structure

• 0-14 years: 18% (male 2,111,320; female 2,015,347)
• 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,597,958; female 7,707,498)
• 65 years and over: 14% (male 1,237,368; female 1,741,630) (2000 est.)

Urban-rural ratio^[3]

• Urban - 52.70%
• Rural - 47.30%

Population growth rate

The population growth rate is -0.12% (2006 estimate). [5]

In common with many Eastern European countries, Romania has experienced a decline in population in recent years. The population fell by 1,129,000 or 4.95% in the decade 1992-2002. In three counties, Caraş-Severin, Hunedoara and Teleorman, the population fell by more than 10% over the same period. Only two counties, Ilfov and Iaşi saw their population increase.^{[citation needed]} CaraÅŸ-Severin (IPA: ; Serbian and Croatian: KaraÅ¡-Severin/Караш Северин, Hungarian: Krassó-Szörény) is a county (judet) of Romania, in historical region Banat, with the capital city at ReÅŸiÅ£a. ... Hunedoara (Hungarian: Hunyad) is a county (JudeÅ£) in Western Romania, in South-Western Transylvania, with the capital city at Deva (population: 77,259). ... Teleorman is a county (judeÅ£) in the South of Romania, in South of Wallachia region, with its capital city at Alexandria (population: 59,308). ... Categories: Counties of Romania | Stub | Ilfov | Bucharest ... Administrative map of Romania with IaÅŸi county highlighted IaÅŸi is a Romanian county (judeÅ£) in the Moldavia region, with the capital city at IaÅŸi. ...

Birth rate

10.7 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) [6]

Death rate

11.77 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) [7]

Net migration rate

-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) [8]

Sex ratio

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

17.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002), [9].

Life expectancy at birth

• Total population: 69.93 years
  • male: 66.1 years
  • female: 73.99 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.35 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Nationality

The noun form is Romanian(s), and the adjectival form is Romanian.

Ethnic groups

Data as of 2002: 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Romanian 89.5%
• Hungarian 6.6%
• Roma 2.5%
• German 0.3%
• Ukrainian 0.3%

The Roma people (pronounced rahma, singular Rom, sometimes Rroma, and Rrom) along with the closely related Sinti people are commonly known as Gypsies in English, and as Tsigany in most of Europe. ...

Religions

• Romanian Orthodox - 86.7%
• Roman Catholicism in Romania - 4.7%
• Protestant - 3.7%
• Pentecostal - 1.5%
• Greek Catholic - Uniate - 0.9%
• Islam in Romania - 0.3%
• Atheist - ~0% (9,271 people)
• No religion - 0.1%
• Other religions - 2.0%
• Refused to declare - 0.1%

The Romanian Orthodox Church (Biserica Ortodoxă Română in Romanian) is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ... The Romanian Church United with Rome, Greek-Catholic (in Romanian: Biserica Română Unită cu Roma, Greco-Catolică) is an Eastern Rite or Greek-Catholic Church ranked as a Major Archiepiscopal Church, which uses the Byzantine liturgical rite in the Romanian language. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...

Notes

1. ^ See, for example, Fabio Bordignon, "Italian Decentralisation in Romania", SEF 2003, Warsaw. Abstract available online.
2. ^ Comunitati evreiesti din România, B'nai B'rith International and Federaţia Comunitatii Evreiesti din România. Accessed online 4 December 2006
3. ^ Romanian Census, 2002 [1]

External links

• United Nations Statistics - Romania
• Romanian National Statistic Institute (site is in Romanian, pdf files are in Romanian and English)
• Census of 2002 statistics
• Population density map